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[PetiteSirene]

I actually cant post here why Space Mountain shut down daily but it was something that could have happened on ANY ride not just a coaster. Every ride is technically advanced in some way and as I said Vortex which is a 'silly' carnival ride broke down constantly for the first year after it opened. I listed Space Mountain as an example because I could 100% varify there were problems with it. Eclipse was a silly carnaval ride that constantly had to be shut... oh yeah and Samuri... and Quantum was shut for weeks at one point whilst they thought how to fix a problem that had been there from the start.

All rides are machines and all machines can go wrong for no reason, just because a ride is deemed 'more complicated' doesnt mean its going to shut down more than a smaller ride. For a real life example... I have a (not cheap) baby monitor that recently just stopped working after a few months. Its a piece of plastic with a few wires but in your line of reasoning its not allowed to do that... after all its a generic product that everyone can buy. Its rather narrow minded to say that ANY piece of machinery cant have teething problems just because there are loads of them. My dad recently bought a new car and the first few months it was in and out of the dealers garage with one problem or another and I can assure you I see plenty of that certain car on the roads.

[davewasbaloo]

@davewasbaloo - i got the info for the early opening from the AP section of the dlrp website :-)

Thanks Smurfy, I plan to try it out this weekend.  :thumbs:

[davewasbaloo]

However money is obviously an issue. Europe is in a bad state financially

Better to have not built it then.

[Malin]

I think you're vastly underestimating how simple these so called carnival rides are. The UK theme parks have teething problems with even the simplest of their rides because they are complex systems no matter if it's a big thrill coaster or not.

So its nothing to do with the fact these sort of rides are built and designed by an outside company not connected to the park. If Carnival rides of this type are such complex systems like many of you say, what a foolish decision by Disney to add them to a park that needs much needed ride capacity. They is no excuse it was a stupid move by the park to add these rides when its well documented how unreliable the ride systems are on these rides. Make as many excuses for Disney as you want but I don't see TSMM when it first opened, having these sort of teething problems.

I have a (not cheap) baby monitor that recently just stopped working after a few months. Its a piece of plastic with a few wires but in your line of reasoning its not allowed to do that... after all its a generic product that everyone can buy.

The difference is you are a consumer buying a manufactured product. You have no say in how its put together. Disney on the other hand have a whole team who's job it is to check over all the mechanics of a ride system.

Better to have not built it then.

  He's got a point!

[CafeFantasia]

@RiverRogue

When you say "wrote the French spiels and copy" don't you simply mean, he translated the American spiels and copy into French? Besides, how many minutes of dialogue are used in Toy Story Playland? There can't be that much.

I'd just like to see interviews with the people that actually designed the attractions. Who are they? Where are they?

[PetiteSirene]

The difference is you are a consumer buying a manufactured product. You have no say in how its put together. Disney on the other hand have a whole team who's job it is to check over all the mechanics of a ride system.

All products bought on the market are tested before they go on the market... You seem to think Disney custom build their rides from scratch and they dont. And you also seem to think that other theme parks dont have teams to over look the smooth running of rides. There does seem to be some part of you that seems to think because its a Disney Theme Park that it and its rides shouldnt be subjected to the normal goings on in a standard theme park.

Yes it IS a Disney Park and Disney are known for a certain standard. However they are not immune to mistakes, ride mishaps and shut downs that every other non disney park suffers from. Perhaps for one second you should take off your tinted glasses and hatred for TSPL and actually realise that ride shut downs happen every where around the world on all caliber of rides. I can assure you that even if they were rides that you loved, were themed to your taste and you loved everything about them there would still be teething problems. However because you would be looking more positively on the area you would be more forgiving and be less critical.

Is is sad I am loving our little debate on ride mechanics? :lol:

[SM:M3]

Every ride has teething problems and as it has been said, no amount of testing can stop it. Look at Kobra at Chessington, new this year and it still breaks down for long periods. No ride is immune from technical difficulties so this is to be expected. As for testing, the Parachute Drop is a different model to those in DCA and TDS so I think that makes it a prototype?

[claire2281]

If Carnival rides of this type are such complex systems like many of you say, what a foolish decision by Disney to add them to a park that needs much needed ride capacity. They is no excuse it was a stupid move by the park to add these rides when its well documented how unreliable the ride systems are on these rides.

Very, very few new rides ever open without teething problems. Heck, IIRC a piece of Rush actually fell off of the ride and Thorpe aren't exactly some crappy little backwater park.

Adding three rides two the Studios was a good idea, particularly considering what they've got coming in Ratatouille. I love that RC and Parachute drop are unique in the park. I mean, I adore RnRC but it is just a much superior version of Space Mountain. Ratatouille doesn't, as yet, seem to be anything the park hasn't done before albeit with a different theme. I'm looking forward to it, but I like the variety.

And I'm amazed by the silliness of still referring to these as carnival rides. I presume people understand the concept that you need to have smaller rides as well as the big ones (Dumbo, anyone?). Have people never played Rollercoaster Tycoon?  

[svenneke1]

If Carnival rides of this type are such complex systems like many of you say, what a foolish decision by Disney to add them to a park that needs much needed ride capacity. They is no excuse it was a stupid move by the park to add these rides when its well documented how unreliable the ride systems are on these rides.

Very, very few new rides ever open without teething problems. Heck, IIRC a piece of Rush actually fell off of the ride and Thorpe aren't exactly some crappy little backwater park.

Adding three rides two the Studios was a good idea, particularly considering what they've got coming in Ratatouille. I love that RC and Parachute drop are unique in the park. I mean, I adore RnRC but it is just a much superior version of Space Mountain. Ratatouille doesn't, as yet, seem to be anything the park hasn't done before albeit with a different theme. I'm looking forward to it, but I like the variety.

And I'm amazed by the silliness of still referring to these as carnival rides. I presume people understand the concept that you need to have smaller rides as well as the big ones (Dumbo, anyone?). Have people never played Rollercoaster Tycoon?  

Yep, you're right. Dumbo, the Lancelot Carrousel,... are carnival rides.

[Malin]

You seem to think Disney custom build their rides from scratch and they dont.

while most of the ride components are built by other companies. It is all built under the plans provided by Disney. Imagineering is not just about drawing nice concept art. The group is comprised of various depts that over see all aspects of the ride from start to finish.

I can assure you that even if they were rides that you loved, were themed to your taste and you loved everything about them there would still be teething problems.

Hmm ok lets keep this qoute to one side and see if the Little Mermaid at DCA develope's teething when it opens next year. Despite the spin you put on it, not every new attraction at Disney has teething problems when first opening. And several of them are far more complicated ride systems to what we have at TSPL. Also it was at one stage a given that Disney attractions would go though a much more thorough ride testing. Before opening to the public. With TSPL I guess the ball was dropped. Especially when people compare the shutdown's to similar problems that Alton Towers has had. Providing the standards are in line with what Thorpe Park is doing, its good enough for Disney right.  

Is is sad I am loving our little debate on ride mechanics?

Not at all and we are proving we can have a good debate without insulting or upsetting each other. People should take note to how its done

Adding three rides two the Studios was a good idea, particularly considering what they've got coming in Ratatouille. I love that RC and Parachute drop are unique in the park. I mean, I adore RnRC but it is just a much superior version of Space Mountain. Ratatouille doesn't, as yet, seem to be anything the park hasn't done before albeit with a different theme. I'm looking forward to it, but I like the variety.

Well I'm looking for quality and RC Racer and Parachute Jump are nothing unique that can't be found at any other park in Europe. And no other attraction at the Studios is like Ratatouille. For the start the park has no dark rides.

And I'm amazed by the silliness of still referring to these as carnival rides. I presume people understand the concept that you need to have smaller rides as well as the big ones (Dumbo, anyone?). Have people never played Rollercoaster Tycoon?  

I googled Carnival Rides on Google images and rides similar in scale to what we have at TSPL all came up.

[dagobert]

I'm not an expert of ride mechanics, but for me the new TSPL rides look like they are from off the shelf you can find in many other parks. That's why I think these rides shouldn't break down so often, because the system has been used in other parks as well. It's not an omnimoover or a rollercoaster.

Wasn't it supposed to have two parachute towers, but Disney doubled the ride capacity of one tower. Maybe that's a reason why the tower has technical problems, because the tower isn't constructed for such an increase of riders.

[RiverRogue]

Once again, any and all attractions have frequent technical problems... whether they're new or not. Most of the time this is not because of actual mechanical failure but -- when not directly caused by riders (happens a lot) or operators (a bit less so) -- due to safety systems programmed to shut a ride down at the slightest risk of a problem. Parachute Drop may not be an EMV, but you won't argue that there's no safety concern at stake here... To clarify, though, I don't know what the problems are in the case of these specific shutdowns, and frankly I don't give them enough importance to bother finding out.

When you say "wrote the French spiels and copy" don't you simply mean, he translated the American spiels and copy into French? Besides, how many minutes of dialogue are used in Toy Story Playland? There can't be that much.

I don't know what he did and to what extent, I was guessing. He did work on it from what I know; apart from that he's the person in charge of documenting the stories and nomenclature of the resort which gives another reason to go to him.

I'd just like to see interviews with the people that actually designed the attractions.

So do I, but as I pointed out French mainstream media won't go to lengths to accommodate us on that.

Who are they? Where are they?

They're a bunch of Imagineers in Glendale, California.  

[PetiteSirene]

This is gonna be short be cause I am on my phone (heading to Chester for a wedding so my silence this weekend will be due to me not being around lol)

off the shelf rides are still complex macines and still go wrong all the time. As I said Vortex had countless problems when it first opened and sometimes problems don't present themselves until they are in full constant use. And it is true shut downs can be caused by guests. Colossus was closed for a massive portion of it's opening year because a girl did something really stupid and the ride carriges had to be re designed, it was something no one would have even thought about during testing. Also shut downs can be caused by operators. Quantum shut down loads the year I was there (it wasn't a new ride at this point) and it we found out it was because one thing was being done before another on the control panel and it just shut the ride down half way through the ride!

So rides are not predictable and some problems can't be found until they are in proper use. It's just the nature with mechanics unfortunatly. (and wow what a long post from a phone lol)

[Malin]

I have not seen anyone post a link to this article from the Independant. But very interesting read and it qoute's this very forum. Toy Story Playland fans may want to turn away now!

"When the concepts were shown at the [Disney fan] Expo last year, they even apparently drew audible boos," says Anthony Sheridan, editor of Disney fan site DLRP Magic. Reaction worsened when photos leaked out showing the new rides under construction. "'I've seen it with my own eyes today. It looks ugly, there is no excuse for this in the park," wrote one Disney fan on DLRP Magic. Another added that "it would have been better if the budget had been spent on one attraction instead of three quite standard funfair attractions".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 58636.html

[dagobert]

Thanks for the link. It's good that there are also negative articles about TSPL, so that Disney knows that there are people who aren't happy with TSPL. Hopefully it makes Disney to think about it and to realize that they have to do better attractions.